ARCHITECTURAL DETAILING, WEATHERING AND STONE DECAY

Examination of the effects of weather on the exterior of an historic f acade is shown to be a necessary part of a conservation study by the i nformation yielded from Regent House, Trinity College, Dublin. An inve stigation, by visual observation and recording of weathering and decay patterns, into the contribution made by the architectural features of classical detailing establishes certain points of interest. Eighteent h-century facade construction employed classical detailing for both de corative and utilitarian, protective functions, such as water flow con trol. As a result, water penetration within the core fabric of the con struction was minimized, and so, the degradation of the materials upon which strength and structural integrity depends was lessened. The stu dy of patterns of weathering and deterioration is used to help identif y areas in which the classical detail has failed or been improperly ma de or maintained. Such areas are associated with further repercussions on the stone and on iron fixings embedded in the construction and ind icate areas in need of repair and attention. In this regard, a knowled ge and understanding of the construction of the building becomes an es sential factor in a conservation study of this nature.